- Thread starter ctrob
- Start date
Punta Cana to POP - Metro or Caribe?
I am almost positive that there is no Metro or Caribe Tour.
There is a bus service called Sitrabapo that you have to get in Friusa ( Bavaro, about 10 minutes from PC airport) that Will take you to Higuey. From there you can get the Caribe Tour or the Metro. The whole trip from Punta Cana to Playa dorada will take about 7/8 hours
First step, taxi from the airport to Friusa. Second step, Expreso Bavaro from Friusa to SD. Third step from SD to POP Metro or Caribe. In the absence of Expreso Bavaro (it runs only 3 or 4 times a day) from same Friusa Expreso Sitrabapu to Higuey (Basilica) and from there APTPRA to SD.
I prefer Metro as well, but Caribe does run more frequently. Given a choice of sitting in SD for an hour or two or using that time to progress towards my destination, I think I'd opt to be on the move.
Not sure if at 3p your friend will be able to get to POP the same day from PC. Family has always taken Metro from PC (Friusa) to SD and never have had a problem. I do know seats fill up so they have always gotten there (Friusa) early. From SD I have always gone Metro.
expreso bavaro leaves at 4 pm. Expreso B?varo - Autobuses entre Santo Domingo y B?varo Punta Cana
i would think the chances of clearing the immigration, retrieving the luggage and then catching that bus within 1 hour are low?
i would think the chances of clearing the immigration, retrieving the luggage and then catching that bus within 1 hour are low?
We have only come through PC once, but that was an incredible wait, first in immigration (despite the fact that none of us were tourists), then collecting the luggage. It took almost 40 minutes after the immigration to see the first suitcase from our flight. I now hate that airport, we are always very fast clearing in POP.
orget any ride to POP that day, just forget it.
a flight "sheduled" to arrive in PC at 3PM is far too late to even think about a same day/night ride to the northshores.
arrive,
relaxe,
take a room for a night at the Sheraton across from the airport,
relax.
in the morning take right there from the mainstreet the Bus to Higuey.
they drop you off at the station for the Bus to st dgo.
those busses run every 15-20 minutes, no wait required.
at their final stop at their station in st dgo, at parque enriquillo, grab a cabby to the metro/caribe tours station.
relax.
hopp on the bus there and ride all the way north to Pop.
it's a full day ride.
to land in PC for a stay in PoP is only worth the hassles if you safed many hundred $S$$$ on a cheaper flight.
honestly,
til now i thought the flights directly to the north are the cheaper ones, but maybe i am mistaken on that one, depending from which country/City someone comes in of course.
Mike
a flight "sheduled" to arrive in PC at 3PM is far too late to even think about a same day/night ride to the northshores.
arrive,
relaxe,
take a room for a night at the Sheraton across from the airport,
relax.
in the morning take right there from the mainstreet the Bus to Higuey.
they drop you off at the station for the Bus to st dgo.
those busses run every 15-20 minutes, no wait required.
at their final stop at their station in st dgo, at parque enriquillo, grab a cabby to the metro/caribe tours station.
relax.
hopp on the bus there and ride all the way north to Pop.
it's a full day ride.
to land in PC for a stay in PoP is only worth the hassles if you safed many hundred $S$$$ on a cheaper flight.
honestly,
til now i thought the flights directly to the north are the cheaper ones, but maybe i am mistaken on that one, depending from which country/City someone comes in of course.
Mike
Just came back a few days ago via PUJ @ 3pm, Resident's line, was through immigration in 5 minutes. With just carry on, I was out the airport's door no more than 15 minutes after I stepped off the plane in PUJ.
I told them to fly into pop, but they didn't listen. They had some travel points and could only use them going to PC.
Anybody know a reliable driver and approximate cost to get them to Playa Dorada in a car?
At breakneck speeds, in a car the trip will take 5 - 6 hours during the daylight, longer after dark. The average price for a car & driver one way when I checked last March was about $400 USD before haggling. The fastest way for them, you rent a car if you don't own one, and go pick them up. Marginally cheaper than hiring a taxi and a very long driving day for you.
Next time, they need to fly into the POP, STI, SD or as a last resort Samana. PUJ was the worst possible choice for a POP destination.
My recommendation, they arrive PUJ, have a beer, get some sleep in PUJ, grab the first Expreso Bavaro next morning direct from PUJ to SD, then a cab to Metro/Caribe. They will be in POP mid to late afternoon for a reasonable monetary cost. There is no quick solution other than chartering a flight from PUJ, and no cheaper solution than the bus.
Next time, they need to fly into the POP, STI, SD or as a last resort Samana. PUJ was the worst possible choice for a POP destination.
My recommendation, they arrive PUJ, have a beer, get some sleep in PUJ, grab the first Expreso Bavaro next morning direct from PUJ to SD, then a cab to Metro/Caribe. They will be in POP mid to late afternoon for a reasonable monetary cost. There is no quick solution other than chartering a flight from PUJ, and no cheaper solution than the bus.
I suppose we just had bad luck then...
The service especially in the immigration was top notch, nothing to complain about, and they even had a guy running to people in the line and making absolutely sure that everyone had everything ready, so that nobody would cause delay speaking to the officials, and it did seem to work. It was just the unusual waiting time in both locations that left slightly bad image...
when i arrive here with my babygirl or alone, non-tourists, we take the right side and if there is a line of tourists on that "Citizens" side then i pass them of course, cut da line. Immigrations always took me just as long as i needed to walk there and present the passport and residency card, a few seconds later on our way to the luggage belt.
for the luggage, like at every airport, sometimes i am lucky to see it on the belt early, other times it can take more than half an hour before the own luggage appears there,
but such is normal around the globe.
to spend a total of one hour for going thru a intl airport is acceptable/nothing out of the ordinary.
i love my quicky solotravels, without luggage, it never took me more than a few minutes to walk thru and hit the exit at PC airport. wating time for luggage is hit and miss, depends how many planes are there to be unloaded at the same time.
Mike
Thats one thing I gotta say for the DR, at almost ANY Airport, except perhaps POP, like if a Big Euro Plane just landed at same time with hundreds ...
You get out of the plane, walk past to SLOW people if possible, buy that silly tourist card give it to another person, go thru immigration , grab luggage and OUT the door for the First Presidente , all in about 25- 30 minutes time..
If I was smart enough to buy that tourist card in advance,, could probably cut that down to 15 minutes flat..
U cant beat that with a stick.
You get out of the plane, walk past to SLOW people if possible, buy that silly tourist card give it to another person, go thru immigration , grab luggage and OUT the door for the First Presidente , all in about 25- 30 minutes time..
If I was smart enough to buy that tourist card in advance,, could probably cut that down to 15 minutes flat..
U cant beat that with a stick.